MOSCOW, June 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Central Bank has forecast inflation for the first half of 2007 at 5.2%, down one point from the same period of last year.
"In the first six months of 2007 inflation will be 5.2% compared to 6.2% in the first half of 2006," the bank's first deputy chairman, Alexei Ulyukayev, said Monday.
In May the real effective ruble rate will grow 2.35%-2.4%, against 6% in May 2006, Ulyukayev said.
The Central Bank official said Russia's international reserves increased 33% to $403 billion in the first five months of 2007.
"The increase in international reserves in the first five months of 2007 has already reached $100 billion, exceeding the target of $92 for the whole of 2007," he said.
The Russian economics ministry earlier forecast inflation for January-June 2007 at 5.3% and the ruble's real effective rate growth at 5.1% in 2007.
